Jon Knudsen, a local priest in Løkken, caused a bit of a stir in 2010 by hanging an elf from his church in what he said was a protest against paganism.

According to Knudsen, elves are a symbol of satanism and can contaminate people with evil spirits and even cause physical illness. If it were up to him, elves would be removed from all Danish homes rather than be seen as a standard symbol of Christmas. 

Although he has retired from the elf-hanging business, Knudsen's fundamentalist faith remains unchanged. But having decided that it is no longer enough to secure his own family from the harmful interaction with fake elves, Knudsen has gone a step further. He has become a travelling elf exorcist, visiting homes where residents say they need the evil spirits of elves washed away.  

"There are many places where they need help," Knudsen told metroXpress. "The elves are causing trouble in the houses and bothering the residents. It can be very uncomfortable to have other creatures living amongst you. The residents want the elves gone. You can call it a house cleaning."

Knudsen told metroXpress that he see elves as false idols. And since according to Christianity, believers may only have one God, Knudsen says Danes need to decide if they are Christians or pagan devil-worshipers. He admits that his standpoint is controversial, but said he doesn't regret the time in the national limelight that his infamous elf-hanging caused. 

"I'm fine with it. When you stick your neck out with a controversial position, you get some negative feedback and some people will make fun of you," he told metroXpress. 

Knudsen says more elf-haters should speak up. 

"I'm not the only priest who has these opinions, but I'm probably the only one who dares to say it out loud," he said.